Facing Nature
by Little Miss Dancer Girl
Summary: Real world AU. Jason Grace is an honors student, taking a road trip across America to escape the stress before his senior year of high school. Along the way, he meets lackadaisical photographer Percy Jackson, a student at Jason's dream college, and together they venture through the most deserted areas on the continent with nothing but Jason's journal and Percy's camera and guitar.
1. Yale

Jason kept telling himself that his reasoning was to explore. He wanted to see what the world was like outside the bay area. He'd come back with an award-winning set of journal entries and photos, and then colleges would be bending over backwards to get him, he kept saying to both himself and his parents. His parents were easy to convince; once college was brought up they hastily agreed. As for himself, however, he still wasn't feeling it.

He had to get away. He was sick of filling out application forms, and he was sick of taking and retaking SATs, and he was absolutely done with _the question_. He could no longer have a chat with an adult without hearing it:

"So where are you applying?"

He'd always say the same answer, which he almost hated more than the question: "Well, I really want to go to Yale, and that's my reach, but I'm also going to send applications to Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Penn State, and I have Duke as my net."

He'd get the same response every time, too, and that's what made him hate it all. "Good," they'd say, with a simple nod. _Good_? Were they freaking kidding?

He wasn't even a senior yet. Junior year came to a close a mere week before. He had a list already. A _list, _and it was just_ good_. He shook the thought out of his mind as he dug through his room.

What to pack, what to pack? He didn't want to end up like a typical city kid, lugging fifty suitcases of clothes and toiletries around with him. He decided to stuff two shirts, a pair of jeans, and some shorts into a duffle bag that sat on the top shelf in his closet. This was the first time it would get to see the sun since Thalia, his sister, bought it for him, and that was what, five years ago.

He unzipped the front pocket of the bag and put in his toothbrush and some toothpaste; it wasn't like he'd have easy water access to brush his teeth, though. Then he spotted it.

It was a brown sketchbook lying on the front corner of his desk, under the piles of textbooks and test-prep packets printed off from the Internet. He had gotten it that same year from Thalia for his birthday. "So you can actually live a little," she told him. He never gave it a second thought. He figured, What the heck; if he was ever going to use the thing, he should use it now. So he went over, snatched it up (catching any falling books, of course) and zipped the bag closed. It fit perfectly.

Jason's dad had planned out the first day, which kinda bummed him, but the two reached a deal that if Jason went to see Yale before going off on his own, then he could do whatever he wanted for the next three months, all the way up until the week before school got back in. No summer reading, no early EDs (yes, redundant, but that's the Graces for you), no tutoring, and no application essay how-to watching on YouTube. So Jason was perfectly fine with such a win-win.

* * *

Sure, Jason had gone to the site and saw plenty of pictures, but man, Yale was _amazing_. The New England charm he'd heard about was clearly evident. His favorite part, though, was the medical school. The entrance was like that of an ancient Roman senate house, with columns across the front encircling the sign with _Yale New Haven Medical School_ written in dark blue. He was in love.

It made him sad, though. He didn't really want to become a neuroscientist, like his parents did. He'd be just fine with a simple masters in creative writing or something and spending his days in a cute coffee shop in London. Or maybe New Haven, now; the city was fun. But this was the dream, and this was how it was going to be. He hadn't severed his social and emotional life for nothing.

He sat on a bench just a block away, over by the cancer center, when he heard a click on his left that reminded him of Thalia boldly crunching on rock candy when they were younger. His head snapped to the side and he spotted a guy only two feet away, pulling an expensive-looking camera down from his eyes. They looked green like sea foam behind large, black, rectangular glasses. His black hair tufted out in all directions under his beanie hat, and he wore a modest outfit over his tan skin in all shades of gray; even his backpack was black. Typical ivy-hipster, Jason said to himself, as the guy held out his right hand for him to shake.

"Hey there, man. Just taking pictures. Hope you don't mind. Name's Percy," he said in a deep voice Jason would pin as almost lazy. His handshake was like that of almost everyone else he met in New Haven so far: firm, direct, and intimidating, but everything else about him was calm. No, _chill_.

"Hi. I'm Jason. Nice to meet you," Jason began, when Percy suddenly plopped down next to him on the bench.

"If you don't want to be in a candid, it's okay. I can delete it."

"Uh, no, that's fine. Can I see it?"

With a very quiet 'sure' that sounded too much like _sherr_, Percy brought the camera screen right up to Jason's face. It was taken from the side at a slight angle, with Jason looking out into the distance in a very photogenic manner, the street behind him trailing into a perfect vanishing point in the middle of the picture.

"Here, lemme focus it a bit," muttered Percy as he pressed a few buttons. Almost as soon as he said it, the background blurred slightly and went off to the right just a tad, putting the focus entirely on Jason.

He tried not to blush. "That looks great. You're really good."

Percy chuckled in response. "Well, I'm majoring in it, so that better be the case."

"You're a photography major?" Jason asked him dumbfounded.

"Yup. But I'm taking next year off to improve my skills and build my portfolio."

"What grade will you be in?"

"I'll be a freshman, but because of the year off—"

"You'll be a freshman the _following_ year, not in the fall?" Jason finished, mentally smacking himself immediately afterwards. He can't screw up a conversation at _Yale_ of all places, with a _student_ of all people. "Sorry."

Percy broke into a hearty laugh, leaning back on the bench. "Don't need to be sorry, but yeah. You go here?"

Jason felt the unease sink in. It was worse than _the question_. He felt so inferior to this guy. He was a full-blown student here, talking about taking a year off as if it were as simple as going to get a coffee, and Jason had spent his whole life tailoring everything he did to get into Yale, and he hadn't even sent in his application. He wondered what this guy's SAT scores were.

"I'm going to be a senior in high school next year. I'm just visiting the place," Jason answered awkwardly.

Percy, however, patted him on the back. "Well, now I know someone who's going to be in my grade with me! Do you know what you want to major in?"

Jason immediately spurted, "Neuroscience."

"_Damn_," was all that came back, as Percy sized him up as if he were to take another photo of him. Jason let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Percy had talked as if it were 100% certain that Jason would be going to Yale in two years. Hearing that from a student gave him a new sense of relief, but a new sense of dread as the back of his mind kept warning him that neuroscience at Yale wasn't what he wanted.

Jason let out a breathy laugh and buried that thought farther down in his brain.


	2. And Then There Were Two

After chatting on the bench for a while, the duo decided to head over to a café nearby. Percy knew exactly how to get there and insisted on paying, making Jason sputter that he was perfectly capable of paying for himself.

"Nah, the great thing about this place is that the drinks are like half the price than everywhere else. It's my treat," Percy countered. Jason just gave up after that.

They sat down at Percy's usual table, outside and as far away from the commotion of the café as possible. Percy asked Jason about almost everything: where he came from and what it was like, what he plans to do if he got to Yale (of course, he worded his questions as if it were still guaranteed that Jason would be attending), and what he liked to do for fun. When he got to that question, Jason tried not to tense up.

"I'll admit, I don't do much outside of school. I mean, I have friends and all, but I'm not one to go to parties. I have to keep my grades up," he said awkwardly.

Percy scoffed. "Well, believe it or not, they like to see that you do have some fun. Grades are only a part of it, but they want people in their classes, not robots."

"See, that's—look, don't tell anyone," Jason began, his blood pumping. He hadn't ever told anyone about his real reasoning for taking this trip. He'd always figured that if he never talked about it, then he would eventually stop thinking about it, but recently, it was all he could think about anymore. "But I'm not sure I even want to do neuroscience. It was my parents' idea. I'd be fine with writing or drawing, or heh, even photography, but I'm just a chicken."

Suddenly, Jason felt as if a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. Percy's glowing smile also helped.

"You have no idea how _not_ alone you are," he said. "I was one of the few people who jumped on with a photography major. Everyone else in my—in _our_ grade, went for big, science-y subjects, and not a lot of them really want that. It's just how it is. I bet some of them with switch when fall starts."

He paused for a minute, looking thoughtful, then continued in a low tone, as if he was telling Jason a secret bigger than his own. "To tell you the truth, I couldn't have applied with a major like that in mind, anyway. I did photography throughout middle and high school and they wanted to build their arts department last year. I was practically asked."

"Wow," was all Jason could let out. "Then you must be really dedicated to taking pictures, huh?"

They shared a chuckle.

Percy breathed, "It may sound funny, but photos of stuff seem really sweet and sentimental. I don't try to be gushy or anything—god, no—but it makes me feel real, you know?"

Jason found himself admiring that. Percy ended up being the guy Jason wished he could be: free and fun and effortlessly cool. He didn't try to please people, and he did what he loved and was a freaking pro at it. "That's so cool. And I really mean it."

Then an idea dawned on him. He was planning on taking pictures on his trip, but if Percy took them, they'd be so much better. That and maybe getting to really hang out with a friend would make Jason feel real.

"So I'm actually going on this trip tomorrow out into the wilderness, just to get away for a while. I was wondering if you'd be able to come with me and take some photos and stuff?"

Percy flashed another smile. "That's really admirable, man. Count me in. When are we leaving?"

"Whatever time works for you, I guess," Jason put out, trying to sound as nonchalant as Percy.

"Um, okay. Surprise me, then. Let me know when you're on your way."

As the photographer stood up and walked past Jason, Jason didn't notice that he slipped his business card into his jacket pocket.

* * *

Jason could've chosen to rent a nice car, like a Volvo or Audi. He could even reach for a Maserati if he called his dad to notify him of a slight swell in Jason's credit card bill. But he went with an old, beat up Chevy pickup. As he walked around the used car dealership out in Westville, he spotted it and called it home.

He'd have to get used to the sucky handling, though. The thing drove like a living monster. He thanked whatever was above when he didn't crash into the parking lot of Percy's apartment building, as he had to keep the business card in one hand to recognize the address.

He didn't even need to leave the car; he spotted Percy jogging across the lot with an oddly similar outfit on as he had on yesterday and only a slightly swelled backpack and guitar case. _A guitar?_ Jason thought. As Percy placed it under the tarp over the back, he yelled, "So we won't get bored to death!" earning a smirk from Jason.

Percy plopped down on the passenger seat, and Jason fought the urge to floor it. It wasn't that he didn't want to stay in New Haven at Yale, but he wanted to leave. He was so ready to leave this behind for the summer. He had never dealt with uncertainty before, and there was no way in hell that he would deal with it now.

They were off.

"I'm free," Jason thought as they got on the highway. "Finally free."


End file.
